


Into the Night

by Palatinedreams



Category: The Lost Boys (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Anal Sex, David is Michael's client, Explicit Sexual Content, Historical, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mating Bond, Michael is a hooker, Oblivious, Prostitution, Reincarnation, Reunions, Temporary Character Death, True Mates, flashbacks of a former life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-22 10:08:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30037068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Palatinedreams/pseuds/Palatinedreams
Summary: Michael ends up as a hooker in Santa Carla after leaving Phoenix and his family because his father didn't approve of his way of life. Every night, he visits the Boardwalk to wait there for possible clients, and one night, he meets a mysterious and fascinating stranger with bleached blond hair and black clothes. David is so different from his usual clients, dark and somehow dangerous, and seeing more in him than just a client who wants to spend the whole night with him would be so easy...
Relationships: David/Michael Emerson (Lost Boys)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 20





	1. Mysterious Stranger

**Author's Note:**

> I got stuck with the idea to a Michael/David story with Michael as a hooker and David as his client, but then my muse came up with a background story for them to give their encounter a different meaning. Michael is still a hooker in here, and David still his client, but now they have a history together Michael doesn't know about. 
> 
> The names in the prologue are the ancient Gaelic versions of the names David and Michael, and Max is not quite the villain in here yet.
> 
> Kind feedback would really make me happy, so if you like it, please let me know!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a former life there were two young warriors who tied themselves to each other by the bond of true mates, but fate tears them apart. The mysterious stranger saving the life of one of them promises that one day, he will find his mate again when he drinks from his bottle and swears loyalty to him.  
> Many centuries after that, Michael meets a mysterious stranger on the Boardwalk who is different from any other client he has ever had, and so he agrees to spending a whole night with him...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole thing became longer than I'd planned, so I decided to split it into two chapters. I love ancient history, so I combined some history with the original idea my muse came up with and bothered me until I gave in and wrote it down. I'm usually not writing about sex for sale, but this fic stuck with me, so here we go. <33

Prologue

_The screams and cries had finally died down, the silence settling over the field almost deafening after the terrible noise. It was the silence of death, and not even the scavengers had dared to break it yet. Night had covered the meadow with its dark blanket not long ago, but he could still hear some of their slaughterers move in between the corpses of his fallen brethren, and he wondered distantly why he was still alive. It wouldn't take long until he would join the others in the_ Otherworld _though, he could feel his life pouring out of his deep wounds, painting the already bloodied soil dark-red with his precious claret. But he kept on crawling over the slippery grass, blinking sweat and blood out of his eyes and suppressing a pained groan in order not to draw the attention of their butchers to himself. Not because he had any hope of survival left, and he actually welcomed his imminent death as it would reunite him with the one he loved, but he needed to find his dead mate, wanting nothing more than seeing his face one last time before he drew his own final breath._

 _His mate had fought great at his side, but he'd fallen just like the others, and he had to find him before_ Cocidius _would demand his sacrifice and invite him into his realm like he'd already done with so many brave warriors tonight. Without his mate, he had no reason to live in the human world any longer, but he needed to see him one last time to make sure that their now useless bodies would be united in their deaths like their souls would soon be in_ Cocidius' _realm of the_ Otherworld _. He almost blacked out from the pain and the effort his slow desperate crawling caused, and he realized that the darkness surrounding him was the not the darkness of a starless night, but the darkness of death that wanted to pull him in. Soon he would be able to rest and close his eyes, but he needed to reach the spot where_ he _had fallen first._

 _Seconds blurred into minutes that felt like eternity, and he could feel his entire short life rushing forth before his hurting eyes, from his very first memory when he'd sat on his mother's lap up to the special night when he'd performed the sacred mating ritual with_ him. _The scenes playing before his mind's eye moved further from that night then, until they reached today's morning when they had taken their spots in the wall of warriors that had been chosen to defend their homeland against the Roman intruders._

_One more meter crawling on the red-soiled grass, and a black shape came into sight. Dark curls, now stained with blood, shone in the pale light of the moon which had decided to come out from behind thick clouds just in this special moment. He knew this shape and those curls by heart, he knew them better than he knew himself, had touched and caressed both so many times with rapturous hands and lips._

“ _Micheil.”_

_Dabhaidh gathered of what little life he still possessed to crawl beside his mate, nestling against his side and looking down at the beautiful face, white like snow where the moon shone onto it, the moment of terror and agony his violent death had carved into Micheil's features still visible. Deep blue eyes which had once been full of life, love and passion were empty now, dulled and staring unseeing up at the dark sky._

_He raised a shaky hand to caress the beloved face, tracing over icy-cold skin and remembering how warm and soft it had felt this morning. A cry of utter pain was torn from Dabhaidh's aching throat, and he didn't care whether the Roman butchers would hear him and come to finish him or leave him to bleed out next to his beloved mate._

_Hot tears fell onto Micheil's cold face, but he didn't have the strength to wipe them away, and he simply rested his head on his mate's shoulder and closed his eyes to await his own death. He actually felt peaceful now, the pain still raging in his body pouring out of him together with his blood._

_It must be the god_ Cocidius _himself clouding the moon that was still shining through his closed lids he thought distantly when a sudden shadow appeared beside him,but the sounds that reached his ears were the unmistakable sounds of cleated Roman sandals, and Dabhaidh forced his eyes open again to see one of their tormentors loom over them._

 _The Roman stared down at him silently, his face hidden in the dark shadows and the red panache of his helmet moving in the wind that was blowing over the battlefield. Dabhaidh shivered, he'd never felt so cold in his whole life. It was the cold of death, he knew that, and the Roman would actually do him a favor if he ended his misery now, because all Dabhaidh wished for was to be reunited with Micheil in the_ Otherworld.

_He stared up at the silent Roman with all the hate and disgust he could muster with his blood soaking the grass beneath him dark red, and he was too exhausted to flinch when the legionary – a centurion according to his red and transverse panache – crouched down beside him to look intently at him, holding his gaze with his own with an ease that made Dabhaidh feel angry despite his weak state. He seemed to be just a middle-aged Roman with short brown hair and rather ordinary features, but there was an aura of power and danger surrounding him Dabhaidh had never encountered before. Not even the few Druids he'd met in his short life had made him feel the way this Roman did, and he unconsciously nestled closer to Micheil to protect him. The Roman conquerors who'd come to claim the land of Dabhaidh's ancestors as their own took pleasure in abusing and violating the bodies of their fallen enemies, and as long as there was still at least one drop of blood left in him, Dabhaidh would protect his dead mate and fight until his last breath._

“ _Stay away from him!” he snarled, though it came out more like a croak, when the Roman reached out with his hand to touch Micheil's face. Dabhaidh tried to push the Roman's hand away, and it felt oddly cool when his trembling fingers brushed against it, not as cold as Micheil's skin in his death, but not really warm, either._

“ _I have no intention of harming him.” The Roman assured him, his voice sounding calm and almost gentle as he brushed over Micheil's broken eyes to close them with a surprising tender gesture. He shifted his gaze back to Dabhaidh, regarding him thoughtfully for a moment._

“ _He must have meant a great deal to you if you're willing to challenge me even though you're dying and not able to fight me in any way. I could make your last minutes a lot more agonizing, kid.”_

_Dabhaidh stared back, unable to avert his eyes from the Roman's face. He'd thought at first that the centurion's eyes were brown, but they shone more golden in the weak light of the moon that had come out behind the clouds again, and he felt drawn to this Roman in a way he couldn't explain and which scared him more than he wanted to admit._

“ _Micheil was my mate, and soon we'll be united again. I'm dying as you said, and you can't do more to me than your damn brethren already did. He's dead, and soon I will follow him to the_ Otherworld _and see him again!”_

_The Roman tilted his head to the side, his lips curling into a smile that let a cold shiver run down on Dabhaidh's spine. “Do you really believe that this will happen? How naive you are, boy. If you really want to see your mate again one day, then you'll have to accept my offer.” He pulled a small flask out of his belt and held it close to Dabhaidh's mouth. “Drink this, and you will live forever and never grow old. You will have to wait for years, maybe even decades or centuries, but one day you will find your mate again, in another time and another world so different from what you know, and then the two of you will be united again. Drink this and join me, and I promise you that your wish will be fulfilled. You will get a second chance with Micheil, all you have to do is drink from this bottle and swear your loyalty to me.”_

“ _I shit on your offer, Roman! Do you really think that I believe the lies you're telling me?” Dabhaidh sneered, the few words almost making him faint._

_The Roman shrugged his shoulders. “It's your decision. You don't have much time left, though, there is only little life left in you, and I can't save you when you're dead. So be quick. Do you want to die and never see your mate again – or do you want to come with me and live forever, never grow old?”_

_Dabhaidh's eyes flickered back and forth between Micheil's once so beautiful features - now contorted to a mask of horror in his death - and the flask the Roman was holding against his lips. He let out a shaky breath and opened trembling lips with a sigh of defeat, the fear that the Roman was right and Micheil wouldn't wait for him in the_ Otherworld _making his decision for him._

“ _I want to see Micheil again, I can't be without him,” he whispered brokenly, and the Roman hummed in contentment._

“ _You made the right choice, boy.” He pressed the bottle against Dabhaidh's lips, and he swallowed the liquid down eagerly. It tasted rich and sweet and yet with a strong hint of iron, but that must be his senses playing tricks on him because of the heavy scent of blood and death hanging in the cold night air over the battlefield. Dabhaidh didn't care about the liquid and the taste, though, all he cared about was the promise the Roman had given him, the promise that he would see Micheil again. He gulped greedily, some of the liquid spilling over in his haste, and he was too exhausted to keep his eyes open when the Roman pulled the empty flask from his lips._

“ _What's your name, kid?” he asked, and Dabhaidh, fighting against the darkness that wanted to swallow him, blinked his eyes open with effort, staring blearily at the face only inches apart from his own. Golden eyes were looking right into his soul, lips pulled back from long and sharp teeth as the centurion smiled at him._

“ _Dabhaidh,” he whispered, and the Roman scooped him up into his arms tenderly, pressing him close to his iron-clad chest._

“ _Welcome among the living again, Dabhaidh. You can call me Maximus, and you need not worry, I will take care of you from now on and teach you what you must learn to find Micheil when the time is right.”_

“ _Can't leave him here...” Dabhaidh protested when the Roman started to walk away from the spot where Micheil was lying, but he was so tired, and Maximus soothed him with a gentle hushing sound._

“ _He's long gone, Dabhaidh, but I will come back to bury him for you. Now sleep, you must rest to regain your strength,” he ordered gently, and Dabhaidh let his head fall against his savior's shoulder and closed his eyes, letting the darkness swallow him gratefully._

_*~*~*_

Michael leaned back against the railing that edged the boardwalk as he watched the crowds from under heavy lids. He kept his hands in his pockets and his posture casual, his right leg bent backwards in the knee and his boot braced against the metal railing, but an attentive watcher passing by wouldn't miss the tension in his shoulders and the hard line around his mouth as he waited for a client coming to him like he'd done so every night since he'd come to Santa Carla. He'd already stayed here for longer than he'd stayed in any other of the cities he'd visited since he'd left his hometown Phoenix after things had become pretty nasty at home and he'd decided that there was nothing left that kept him there. He'd never fit into the life his parents had in mind for him, and they were better off without him – as he was without them.

Santa Carla was as good as any other place, at least the weather was nice most of the time, and he wouldn't run out of clients too soon during the summer months. Usually, the restlessness he was always feeling when he stayed at one place for too long would make him move on again, but there was something about Santa Carla that seemed to call out to him, and so far, the combination of sun, sea and sand and the boardwalk still fascinated him. He could easily move on further to LA or San Francisco if he wanted to, but he was in no rush to leave the city soon again. Not that he was getting to see much of the sun, the ocean and the beach, as his way of earning his living required that he'd stay up all night and sleep throughout most of the day - something he'd become accustomed to with surprising ease – but watching the boardwalk at night was entertaining enough and made up for his messed up sleeping schedule and the lack of sun and beach life.

Michael always kept his distance to the other hookers, and they knew better than to come too close to him or challenge him in any way. His looks with the rather long brunet curls, his leather jacket, the simple white tee, jeans and sneakers distinguished him from all the others and granted him that he didn't run out of clients, but the last couple of nights had been frustrating in this regard, and he was in danger to be running out of money quickly if his fortune didn't change soon again. The owner of the motel where he'd found shelter took much more money for the shabby room that had become his temporary home than it was actually worth it, and most of the money he made was spent for having a roof over his head. Michael had contemplated looking for something cheaper, but the motel owner also kept a blind eye on how his guests were earning their money and for what they wanted to use the rooms as long as they didn't do too much damage to the furniture, and Michael therefore had decided to stay and not complain about the exorbitant price.

He sighed inwardly when he watched a pudgy middle-aged man with a balding head walk towards him, his face red and sweaty from the alcohol he'd most likely drunk to gather the courage and come to this side of the boardwalk to look for a male hooker he could live out his forbidden dreams with. There was a wife and kids waiting for him somewhere at home, of that Michael was sure, oblivious to the forbidden desires their husband and father was hiding from them as his dirty little secret.

Just a couple of months ago, Michael wouldn't have believed anyone telling him that he would end up earning money this way, laughing in their faces, but here he stood, contemplating how far he was willing to go with a client he found as deterring as this one. He could feel the eyes of the other hookers on him as he told the man his price for the blow job he required, and he still felt watched by a pair of invisible eyes when he led his client to a dark corner behind one of the shops where the light of the street lamps didn't reach. It was a quick blowjob - whether it was because it was the first time with a hooker for his client at all, or because Michael was so different from all the others, this was hard to tell - but he came in the rubber Michael had put over his dick after a few strokes with his hand to get him hard enough after barely more than thirty seconds, and he tugged his little man back into his pants and hurried off on wobbly legs as fast as he could before Michael had even finished wiping his mouth and his hands with a kleenex.

“Idiot,” he murmured, turning around to head back to his usual spot at the railing and wait for the next one who was wishing to let their secret sexual dreams come true tonight. The feeling that he was being watched hadn't disappeared yet, and Michael frowned, stopping dead in his tracks when a dark figure emerged from the shadows all of a sudden, revealing a young man with bleached blond hair which he'd trimmed upwards to spikes on top of his head with a lot of hairgel, while longer strands were covering his neck down to his shoulders. The blond color of his three or four days stubble was of a slightly darker shade as his hair, giving his still rather boyish features the right amount of roughness to let him pass more as a man than as a boy. The newcomer – and probably Michael's secret observer, too – was dressed completely in black and dark gray, clad in a heavy looking black duster over a leather jacket, a black shirt and worn dark leather pants peeking out beneath them. He'd tugged an unsmoked cigarette behind his left ear that was pierced with a long earring, and he watched Michael silently with a slight tilt of his head, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his long coat.

Michael stared back at him with narrowed eyes, a strange mixture of feelings pooling in his stomach at the sight of the blond stranger, anger that he'd been watched, curiosity, wariness about his intentions and something he couldn't really identify and didn't want to classify as fear either. The blond couldn't be much older than Michael, but there was an aura of power and dominance surrounding him that didn't really match with his youthful appearance.

Seconds stretched to a minute, and Michael felt something inside him snap when the blond just continued to regard him in this weird way without speaking. “What's up?” he asked curtly, “this your territory, or are you just one of those weirdos who only get it up when they can watch other people have sex from safe distance and lurking in the shadows not to get caught watching?”

The left corner of the blond's sensitive lips curled upwards into a crooked smile, and Michael felt his gaze drawn to the tempting mouth against his will. The soft night breeze was carrying the other one's scent to him, subtle and yet very male, the combination of leather and musk causing a strange and unwelcome flutter in Michael's stomach.

“I wouldn't call anything that lasts less than even a minute real sex, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you're just so incredibly talented with your mouth that he couldn't hold back because of your _amazing_ performance,” the stranger said, amusement coloring his calm voice. It was low and soft and sent a shiver along Michael's spine that he couldn't suppress, even though he was really pissed off because of the mocking remark about his performance and his blow job skills. The lopsided smile deepened at the sight, his thoughtful eyes sharp enough not to miss Michael's involuntary reaction to his presence.

“Well, too bad that _you_ won't get to enjoy my many talents,” he snapped, about to turn around and make a point showing that he wasn't going to take the bait and let the blond rile him up. He'd never seen this guy among the other hookers before, or even on the boardwalk, and he didn't have the time to play stupid games with him. He needed money, and wasting his time with pointless conversation wouldn't get him any of that. He would return to his usual spot and wait for the next client, and he was even desperate enough to negotiate about more than a simple blow or easy hand job if the price they were willing to pay for a real fuck was high enough. He still hated it, but he couldn't allow himself the luxury of denying such requests too often.

“I wouldn't have thought that this is your preferred type of client, but I see now that I was wrong here. Too bad, I was just about to offer you a deal...” the blond drawled, and Michael stopped and slowly turned his head again to look at him from over his shoulder with narrowed eyes.

“What kind of deal?” he demanded to know, his mistrust evident in his voice. The black-dressed guy shrugged his shoulders, pulling the cigarette from his ear to light it and take a deep drag from it.

“I want to acquire your... _services_ for the whole night. No more serving panting and drooling middle-aged husbands for you tonight - and who don't appreciate your talents like they should actually do, given that they could never hope drawing your attention under different circumstances. How does it sound?”

Michael stared at him with a blank face for a moment, anger pooling in his belly that the guy was still making fun of him.

“You don't look as if you could really afford my 'services' for the whole night, so just go fuck yourself, will you?” he hissed, turning around again.

“Don't judge the book by the cover, handsome. How many blow jobs do you have to give for five hundred dollars?”

Michael stopped again, slowly making his way back to him. “Five hundred? The whole night?” he inquired, still wary and full of mistrust, folding his arms across his chest and regarding him with narrowed eyes.

The guy nodded his head, meeting his eyes without blinking. “Yes. Plus, I'll pay for a proper room in a decent hotel and you'll get dinner for free as well.”

Michael's stomach rumbled appreciatively at the mentioning of food. He'd gone with only one meal a day over the last few days to have enough money for the motel room left as the end of the month was nearing, and getting paid for the whole night plus dinner sounded too good to be true. The guy was probably into things Michael wouldn't like at all, and he drew his brows together.

“What am I supposed to do for that? I'm not into pain, handcuffs and such stuff,” he asked suspiciously, and the blond took another drag from his cigarette and smiled, a smile that was genuine and almost sweet.

“Nothing of that kind, and nothing you're not okay with,” he responded, and his voice sounded as sincere and honest as he looked. “You're safe with me, handsome, I have no intention of harming you in any way. I'm... _David,_ by the way.” He cocked his head and looked at him with an expression as if he was waiting for any kind of special reaction, which confused Michael again. David was a rather common name, and it suited the young man surprisingly well, but it didn't immediately ring any bell in Michael's head. Although, there was something about him that stirred something deep inside his mind, something he couldn't grasp but which actually made him feel safe in David's company.

“Uhm, hi, I'm Michael,” he said somewhat sheepishly, his cheeks coloring when David rewarded him with one of his crooked smiles once more.

“Michael is a good name, I like Michael,” he said, his voice dropping low to what resembled a lion's purr. “Do we have a deal, then? Or would you rather wait for the next bald-headed husband?”

He winked at him, stubbing the smoked cigarette out with the heel of his boot.

“Five hundreds sound good,” Michael hurried to agree, not wanting to admit that the prospect of spending a whole night in the company of a young and handsome looking man with such fascinating green-blue eyes as David possessed was actually of much greater appeal to him than the prospect of getting such an amount of money in one single night.

“Great, shall we leave this place then and find us a restaurant for dinner?” David jerked his head in the direction of the boardwalk with its colorful lights, and Michael found himself smiling back at him.

“But I want a real dinner, not just a burger and greasy fries,” he warned the blond, who bowed his head before him with another wink and lopsided smile.

“Whatever you wish for, it shall be yours tonight, Michael,” he promised, and the way he spoke his name sounded a bit odd and archaic, but Michael didn't correct him. If David wanted to make his name sound more ancient, then Michael would go along with it without objecting against it. The night was still young, and it turned out to be far better than Michael had expected. He followed the blond back to the lights and the crowds with a grin plastered over his face, and when he took a deep breath and David's unobtrusive male scent penetrated his nose, it felt as if they already knew each other for a very long time.

*~*~*

David had led him to an exclusive restaurant near the boardwalk, and Michael was still amazed about the waiter's behavior who treated them as if they were some very much welcome and wealthy patrons dressed in tailored suits and not two young men clad in leather and jeans. The older man apparently did wear a tailored suit himself, but he hadn't even bat an eye and just guided them to a table in the back of the restaurant near the large patio where they had their privacy, and Michael watched in awe as they debated the best choice of wine for the main course like two equals. David had told him that he shouldn't judge the book by its cover, and Michael must admit that he had been right about that – as he'd never have taken David for a wine expert considering his appearance and youth.

“What?” David asked when the waiter took the menus and set off to have their orders carried out, his green-blue eyes sparkling with mischief as he met Michael's astonished gaze over the pristine white table cloth.

“Didn't take you for an expert in wine, I guess. You look more like a biker.”

That statement earned him a raised blond eyebrow. “And bikers can't appreciate a good wine?” David countered with a smirk, lighting another cigarette as he comfortably leaned back in his chair.

Michael shrugged his shoulders, suddenly feeling shy under the close scrutiny of those fascinating eyes. “Just surprised, I guess.” He looked out of the window into the darkness, the distant lights and shouts from the boardwalk making him feel out of place in these exclusive surroundings even more. When he'd told David that he wanted something more tasty than a burger and fries he hadn't thought that the blond would take him to the best restaurant in town.

David exhaled a cloud of smoke, his eyes not leaving Michael's face when the waiter came back with two glasses of wine and a water bottle to place them on the table and serve the first course of their dinner. He waited until the man was gone again before he said: “Tell me something about you, Michael.”

He took his glass and Michael mirrored his action to clink their glasses together after a moment of hesitation. David waited patiently for him to show the courtesy that was due in such a restaurant, but his eyes flashed in warning when he saw the look of defiance on Michael's face. He had to remind himself that this wasn't a date and that David was his client and in charge because he was the one paying him tonight. Pissing a client off who was willing to pay so much money and take him to this fancy place was not a good idea, and Michael didn't really want to be an asshole either, but he felt so out of place while David looked perfectly fine in his chair despite the clothes he was wearing. He'd not even taken his coat off, and the aura of dominance and danger surrounding him was even stronger here.

“What do you want to know?” he mumbled when he'd sipped from the sparkling wine, the alcohol running down his throat so smoothly that he took another sip from it right away to quench not only his thirst but also his nervousness with the wine.

“Easy, Michael. It's only wine, but you look a little starved, so eat your first course before you drink more.” David advised him with a light frown, stubbing the cigarette in the ashtray and taking his fork to take a bite from the salad and the shrimps on his plate.

Michael stared down at his own, trying to remember the last time he'd eaten shrimps. He couldn't, because he'd never gotten to eat them before tonight, not even dared dreaming of something extraordinary like that.

“They're good, just try them.” David urged him on gently, cocking his head to the side with a thoughtful expression. “And to answer your question: everything you're willing to tell me about you.”

Michael took a cautious bite from his salad and the shrimps to buy himself more time, and his taste buds felt like exploding from the most delicious thing he'd ever eaten. He moaned around his bite and blushed furiously when he realized what he'd just done and what his reaction revealed about his life and experiences to the mysterious blond.

David chuckled delightedly at his reaction. “That good, huh?”

“I'm sorry,” Michael mumbled, his face still hot with embarrassment. He felt like an idiot, and he probably looked like one in this moment, too, but David's smile was friendly and not the least mocking when he said:

“There's no need to be sorry, Michael.” He was pronouncing his name in this special archaic way again, and Michael thought that he could actually get used to it pretty quickly because it made him feel special and cherished in a way he shouldn't feel because David was his client for one night and not his date, paying for being allowed to address him in which way whatsoever he wanted to.

He cleared his throat, intent not to let himself get carried away and fall for the blond. They would part ways after that night again, and it wasn't likely that David would want to waste more money for his services after tonight anyway - because Michael's experiences with this kind of services weren't as great as David obviously thought them to be. Back at home, he'd never went much farther than making out with another boy from his school in the musty changing room of their gymnasium, and he'd only had sex with one guy before he'd become a hooker.

He'd met Ryan when he'd stopped in a smaller town after his departure from Phoenix, looking for a job in the club where Ryan had been working. He'd been a bit older than Michael, good-looking and kind enough to let Michael sleep in his spare room, and he'd gotten him a job as a waiter in the same club. They'd been together for a couple of months, but Michael had always felt restless, feeling as if something was calling out for him he had to follow, and that he would only find his peace of mind when he'd finally found it. Ryan had done his best to make him stay, but one rainy morning Michael had packed his bag and mounted his bike to drive off and search for the place that would eventually make him feel at home.

Michael pushed the memories of his life on the road away when he realized that David was still waiting for his answer, and he shrugged his shoulders. “I grew up in Phoenix with my parents and my little brother Sam. Dad was not really happy when he found out that I was playing in the same league, and I was not really happy with his attempts to make me see my mistake and 'cure' me. So I decided that parting ways would be better for all of us and left. Got some jobs on my way here, and well, the 'job' I have now is as good as any other until I'll find something better.” He shrugged again, feeling ashamed all of a sudden and trying to cover it with a snort and a laugh. “Nothing extraordinary, and there is not really anything more I could tell you about me...”

David regarded him quietly for a moment, and there was no judgment in his gaze, only interest and something else that went deeper, but which Michael couldn't give a real name. The look was gone before he could think more closely about it, though, and the waiter coming back to take their empty plates away and refill their wine glasses kept him from asking David about his own backstory.

“Do you wish for anything else together with your main course, sir?” the waiter asked politely, ignoring Michael and focusing on David solely, and as ridiculous as it was, but Michael felt a sharp sting of jealousy when the blond smiled at him.

“No, thank you, we're good,” he said, following the man with his eyes when he took his leave after another short bow before settling them back on Michael's face. “Enjoy your meal, Michael,” he said, and the smell of the steak and the potatoes was as delicious as the shrimps had been. Michael felt his mouth water and his stomach cramp with a wave of hunger he had managed to ignore until now. He couldn't help but lick his lips, and David's gaze dropped down to his mouth, and then further down to his throat where his Adam's apple was moving as he swallowed hard to keep himself from digging into his food without any manners.

“There is no need to hold back, Michael,” he said softly, “no one's watching us, and I know you're hungry. Just eat.” This was the last straw Michael had needed, and he dug into his steak, moaning again when juicy and crispy hit his tongue in perfect combination all at once.

David leaned back in his chair with a smile, sipping occasionally from his wine, apparently happy to just watch him savor his dinner instead of doing the same and empty his own plate. His green-blue eyes were glowing with emotions that went deeper than what a guy like him should feel for a random hooker he'd rented for one night, and the smile had gone from his face to make room for something much more intense and dark, but he hid his mouth and the outright predatory expression from the other guests who might look in their direction behind the glass of wine he was holding. Only Michael could see it because he was sitting opposite and close enough to the blond, and he knew that he should wonder about the way David was watching him with this look of dark hunger on his own face, but he was too busy with eating to care much about the dangerous aura that was increasing with every minute that passed.

Michael tried to inwardly shrug it off, and he told himself that it was probably just because the blond hadn't gotten laid in a rather long time, even though it was beyond him why a guy like David would need to pay money for sex instead of having a long tail of men and women begging for his attention following him wherever he went. Not that it was any of his business, and as long as David paid him for the night, Michael would be content and not bother to ask questions the blond probably didn't want to answer anyway.

*~*~*

The hotel David had chosen for what would happen after dinner was as expensive as the restaurant, and the hotel room with the joined bathroom was so different from the shabby room that had become Michael's temporary home that he could just stand there and look around in awe for several minutes.

“I'm glad to see that I could meet your expectations, Michael,” David stated with a hint of gentle mockery as he watched Michael with a smile.

“Uhm yeah, nice furniture,” Michael stammered, his eyes glued to the huge bed with the satin pillows and the silken sheets. If he'd had any doubts about what David wanted from him still lingering in his mind before they'd entered this suite-like room, then they'd already be gone now. One didn't need a king-size bed for a simple hand or blow job, so David obviously wanted his ass tonight. Well, he was different from his usual clients, young, handsome and smelling clean, and to his own surprise, Michael felt a flutter of anticipation in his stomach at the thought of sleeping with David and letting him have him in this intimate way.

“Yes, really nice 'furniture', isn't it?” David's chuckle sounded like the content purr of a big lion again, a lion playing with his prey before he would eat it. Michael wasn't sure where this thought suddenly came from, and why he was thinking of himself as David's prey. He swallowed nervously and forced himself to turn around and face the blond.

“So what now, what do you expect from me?” He demanded, and he hated that his voice sounded shaky with uncertainty. He didn't know David, he was still a stranger, despite their pleasant dinner and the way David had treated him so far, all gentleman-like.

David stepped closer until he could almost feel his breath on his cheeks, holding his gaze easily. They hadn't been this close before, and the dominance radiating from the blond was overwhelming now. Michael lifted his chin up defiantly, meeting David's gaze with challenge visible in his own eyes.

The blond smiled, taking his chin in his hand and stroking over his bottom lip with his thumb. His grip was gentle and the caress just a feather-light touch, but they drew a visible shiver from Michael he couldn't suppress or hide from the other man. The strange flutter in his stomach increased and he blinked when David let go of his chin and turned around abruptly to walk over to the armchair sitting in one corner of the room beside the bed, opposite the door. He seated himself in the chair like a king would seat himself on his throne, crossing his legs and resting his arms comfortably on the armrests of the chair.

“Now you will take a shower, Michael. I want you clean and without the smell of other men on your skin.”

Michael stared at David in stunned silence for a moment, that wasn't what he'd expected at all. None of his clients had ever bothered about that, but the shower in his own motel was mostly cold when he got to use it, and David had paid for the whole night. If he wanted to waste it with waiting for Michael until he'd showered, then it was his loss. But he still felt oddly defiant, and he narrowed his eyes as he gazed at him across the large room.

“How can I be sure that you will still be here when I come back? You could just take my money and leave me here and tell the receptionist that I'll pay for the room...” he drawled, folding his arms across his chest. David had given him the money they'd agreed on before they'd entered the hotel lobby, and his wallet was well-filled for the first time in months. Michael wasn't going to risk anything happening to it while he was in the shower.

David's eyes lit up, and a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You haven't fulfilled your part of our bargain yet, so technically it is still my money, but why would I want to leave you, Michael? Besides, you can take your wallet and your jacket with you and lock the bathroom door to make sure that I won't rob you, right?”

Michael felt a bit stupid that he hadn't thought of it until David had presented the solution of his problem to him, and he felt himself blushing again. “Never mind, I just had to make sure...” he murmured, and David's face softened a bit.

“Go take your shower, lock the door if it makes you feel better. I want you to feel safe and comfortable with me, Michael. And don't worry, I'll still be here when you're finished with cleaning up.”

“Alright, if you insist,” Michael shrugged, and David looked up at him from his seat with raised brows.

“I do, Michael.”

Michael made his way to the bathroom without further ado, actually grateful to have some time to himself before he had to fulfill his part of the bargain. He tried to ignore the tingling of anticipation deep in his belly that became stronger when he locked the door and undressed, stepping into the huge shower cubicle when he was finally naked and starting the water. It was warm and welcome as the hot spray cascaded over his head and his back, washing away any other lingering scent that might still cling to his skin without belonging there and coloring his pale skin pink from the heat quickly.

Michael closed his eyes and leaned back against the white marble tiles as he enjoyed the rare luxury of a warm shower, David's face clearly visible before his mind's eye as he relaxed gratefully for the first time on this unusual and special evening.


	2. Past and Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David is not the usual customer Michael is used to deal with, and there is a strong connection between them Michael doesn't really understand, but giving himself to the mysterious blond is way easier than it should actually be...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Real life was busy, so it took me longer to finish this story than I'd thought, but here it finally is. :-)

_Past_

_The Druid led them to the sanctuary, and Dabhaidh felt nervous and excited at the same time. The clearing had been shaped into a perfect circle by human hands to revere and worship the ancient gods, the calm water of an equally perfectly rounded pond in the center of the meadow shimmering golden in the light of the stars and the torches that lined the edge of the meadow in safe distance to the trees that separated the village from the sanctuary._

_Only the Druids and the bravest warriors were allowed to come here, and Dabhaidh moved closer to Micheil as they both looked around in awe and with their hearts beating hard and fast in their chests. Tonight, their biggest dream would finally come true. They had passed all the tests, and tonight the Druid would bind them together in the ancient ritual only true mates were allowed to perform. He would give testimony about their mating bond to the gods and beg_ Cocidius _to bless and confirm their bond, and Dabhaidh couldn't wait to finally become Micheil's true mate forever. Only two warriors could bind themselves together through this sacred ritual, two warriors who had proven their courage and eternal love for each other, and not even death could tear them apart when the bond was sealed by the Druid in the name of the god of the warriors_ Cocidius.

_Dabhaidh and Micheil had proven their courage and their skills as true warriors more than once, and Dabhaidh actually couldn't remember a time when he hadn't loved Micheil with every fiber of his body and soul. He knew that Micheil felt the same way about him, he could see the brunet's love for him every time he looked into Micheil's deep blue eyes. He could feel Micheil shiver next to him in the cool night breeze, as the Druid had ordered them to undress before they would set foot onto the clearing, and they were both naked except for the ritual tattoos the Druid had painted onto their skin before they had left the village. Dabhaidh smiled reassuringly at Micheil, and his future mate smiled back at him as he relaxed gradually._

“ _The gods have approved of your wish to become true mates, but you have to go through one more test before you are allowed to tie yourselves to each other in this most sacred bond.” The priest now said in a grave voice, drawing their attention to him._

“ _You will fight against each other without weapons until one of you will yield to the other one. This fight will decide which of you will be the Sword in your bond, and who will be the Shield. There can only be one Sword when two warriors become true mates, and only one Shield. The one can't be without the other, never forget that, and both are equals in true mateship. But the Sword will be the one walking before the Shield, and he will be the dominant one in your relationship, so don't make the mistake of thinking that this fight will be an easy one. In fact, it will be the most important fight of your life, so fight well and prove to the gods that you are worth their blessing.”_

_Dabhaidh could hear Micheil beside him gasp out in shock, and he froze in disbelief for a short moment himself. None of the warrior mates who'd performed the ancient ritual before them had ever talked about what had happened on this clearing, and Dabhaidh hadn't expected to fight against Micheil at all. He knew that he was the stronger one of the two of them when it came to close combat and fighting without any weapons, and if he understood the Druid and his words correctly, then Micheil would have to submit to him when they slept with each other, something that would definitely not come easy to his beloved but pretty stubborn brunet._

_He stared at the priest, and then at Micheil, unsure what he should do now. Micheil knew him all too well, though, and he narrowed his eyes and hissed: “Don't you even dare thinking of that! You won't cheat and go easy on me just because you think you have to do that. If I win this fight, then not because you let me win!”_

_Dabhaidh swallowed. “And if you don't?” he murmured. Micheil's jaw worked and Dabhaidh could see how he gritted his teeth for a moment before his face became soft and he smiled at him._

“ _Then I will be your Shield and let you have me. But I will make it as hard for you as I can do, Dabhey,” he threatened with sparkling eyes, and Dabhaidh chuckled, his heart swelling with love._

“ _I wouldn't expect any less from you, Michi,” he snorted, using Micheil's nickname as well. They took up positions on the grass, facing each other, and the Druid stepped aside and lifted his arms up into the night sky._

“ _May the fight begin!” he said, and Dabhaidh jumped forward with a shout._

_*~*~*_

_The fight had lasted longer than Dahaidh had thought that it would, and pride filled him when he looked down at Micheil, drowning in the bottomless depths of Micheil's beautiful blue eyes. He'd pinned him down with his full body weight after their exhausting fight, but Micheil was still struggling against him and trying to free his hands so he could turn them over and yet win the upper hand._

“ _Do you yield?” Dabhaidh asked, still out of breath, and his beloved growled angrily and arched his back to throw him off. He was so beautiful in his anger, and Dabhaidh's head was spinning with desire, his need to claim this amazing being as his for once and all painful in its urgency. He growled in annoyance at Micheil's stubbornness, bending his head down and sinking his teeth into his future mate's shoulder to make him admit defeat. He'd won in a fair fight, and he wanted his rightful price -_ now _._

_Micheil went completely still beneath him when his teeth broke smooth and fragrant skin and a few droplets of Micheil's precious claret filled his mouth, only his harsh breathing betraying that he was a living being and not a lifeless marble statue._

“ _Mine, you're mine!” he breathed against the bite mark, soothing it with the tip of his tongue as he waited for Micheil to give in to him and yield, and when the other one let out a shaky sigh, Dabhaidh knew that he accepted the will of the gods._

“ _I yield,” Micheil croaked out, his self-loathing about his inability to win against his lover evident in his voice, and Dabhaidh let go of his wrists to embrace him, nuzzling his neck and inhaling deeply his beloved scent. Micheil relaxed against him with a sigh, holding him tight and turning his head to offer his lips for the kiss Dabhaidh longed to have. They kissed each other lovingly, and after a moment they rose to their feet at last to await the Druid's judgment._

“ _You have passed the last test. The gods will bless your bond. Dabhaidh, you will be the Sword in your mateship, and Micheil will be your Shield after tonight. Great responsibility comes with your position, though, young warrior. From this night on, it will be your sacred duty to guide your mate and satisfy his needs completely whenever he'll give himself to you, Dabhaidh. His pleasure and happiness must always mean more to you than your own and come first for you, never forget that.”_

_The Druid turned to look at Micheil. “You will accept Dabhaidh as your Sword, Micheil. Your devotion and freely given surrender to him will strengthen your bond and please the gods. You are equals in your love and in your fight against our enemies, because the sword can never win a fight alone and without the shield protecting the arm yielding it, and the shield alone cannot defeat the enemy without the sword feasting on their blood.”_

_Dabhaidh felt for Micheil's hand, and his mate took his right and interlaced their fingers. He was still exhausted from their fight, but the touch of Micheil's fingers filled him with new energy, and they followed the priest to the pond when he beckoned them to follow him._

“ _You will bathe in the holy pond and wash away your old life to leave the water afterwards cleaned from your past and reborn as true warriors. Then you will feed each other these fruits and drink the claret of the gods from this goblet. The fruits and the beverage will make sure that you will please the gods when you finally forge your bond and become truly one before their eyes. You are not allowed to touch each other again until you have washed away your old life and fed one another, so step apart now and clean your bodies and souls with the holy water in the gods' sacred pond.”_

_Dabhaidh hesitantly let go of Micheil, the loss of his touch like a physical pain in his chest, but soon he would be allowed to do all the things to Micheil he'd longed to do to him for so long, and he made his way to the small pond feeling humble and blessed that they had pleased the gods and achieved to get their blessings for their mateship._

_Micheil followed him in appropriate distance and without speaking, but Dabhaidh could feel his longing gaze on his naked back. Dabhaidh dove into the cool water to wash away the sweat from his skin, and his former self and old life flowed away together with the sweat and dirt when he closed his eyes and held his breath as he sank under the calm surface of the pond. He remained crouching on the slippery ground for as long as he was able to do without breathing, and when he pushed out of the water again, it was not the boy Dabhaidh wading back to the shore, but the warrior Sword, reborn and ready to claim his true mate under the eyes of the gods._

_*~*~*_

_They had bathed and fed each other with the fruits and shared the claret of the gods, drinking from the same goblet in turns. They had been careful not to touch each other even by accident during the ritual meal, and Dabhaidh had soon realized that either the fruits or the beverage – or both – must contain a rather strong aphrodisiac even before the Druid had told them that the ritual meal would help things along during the sacred act of their first mating and ease the way when he would claim his Shield as his rightful mate._

_Micheil was writhing and moaning beneath him, the aphrodisiac loosening him up quickly when Dabhaidh prepared him tenderly and carefully despite his own urgent need to sheathe himself in Micheil's tight virgin heat. The Druid had said that Micheil's pleasure and satisfaction must always come first for him, and Dabhaidh wouldn't disappoint the gods who were watching them from the dark night sky and would judge his actions without mercy if he failed in satisfying his beloved mate. He couldn't stand the thought of ever losing Micheil again, and even without the priest's words about his duties Dabhaidh would always care more about Micheil's happiness and pleasure than about his own._

_The fragrant oil the Druid had given him to prepare his mate and make sure that Micheil would only feel pleasure and not any pain when he'd finally claim him as his completely made it easy for him to slip his fingers inside Micheil's throbbing channel, and he soothed him with passionate kisses when Micheil tensed at the first and unfamiliar intrusion._

“ _Hush, shshsh love. I will never hurt you, please let me in, I need you to,” Dabhaidh murmured against his swollen lips, and Micheil pulled his head down to deepen their kiss and arched his back up to meet the tender thrusts of his digits._

“ _I know, Dabhey. I know that you won't hurt me. I only wished that we were alone...” Micheil admitted, and Dabhaidh kissed him again._

“ _Don't think of the Druid, focus on me. I'm here, and I will make this so good for you, Michi.” His mate relaxed in his arms, and when Dabhaidh finally entered him, slowly inch by inch to savor their first and so important union, they had both forgotten that the old man with the long white hair and beard was sitting on the edge of the clearing with crossed legs to be a witness of the mating bond they were forming and completing tonight, and which could never be broken again when this special night was over. Not even the gods or death could ever tear them apart again, of that Dabhaidh was sure._

_*~*~*_

_The pain in his body and the wounds were gone when Dabhaidh woke up in the darkness with only two candles on a small table beside his makeshift bed to illuminate his surroundings, but the agonizing pain in his heart and his soul about his loss were still the same. He didn't remember much of what had happened after Maximus had carried him away from the battlefield – and away from Micheil's body. He'd drifted back and forth between half consciousness and deep coma for what had felt like forever, not able to tell whether it was day or night, and he still wasn't sure how much time had passed since he'd drunk from the bottle for the first time._

_Maximus had brought him to his tent and tended to his wounds while he'd been sick, this was all Dabhaidh remembered. The Roman had given him more of this special wine to drink - it had to be wine mixed with some special herbals, because what else could it be? – and he'd soothed him with gentle words when Dabhaidh had writhed on his straw mat and cried for his mate, but otherwise he'd remained silent and not answered the questions burning on Dabhaidh's tongue so far._

_Tonight was the first time that he had a clear head and was capable of forming coherent thoughts for longer than only one or two seconds, even though he still felt weak like a newborn baby. He tried to sit up, and he groaned when he fell back onto the mattress, but he gritted his teeth and lifted his torso up with effort, taking deep and slow breaths until the dizziness faded. He was so thirsty, but he wasn't sure that he could hold a cup with water in his shaky hands without spilling it as weak as he was. He turned his head slowly from one side to the other to see if Maximus was there to help him, and he flinched at the unexpected figure with long white hair and a white beard sitting beside his mattress when he turned his head to the left side._

_The Druid who had sealed his bond with Micheil on that fateful and wonderful night; the best night of Dabhaidh's whole life._

_Dabhaidh blinked, but the Druid didn't disappear like he'd expected him to do when he opened his eyes again, regarding him with a calm and resigned expression. “You!” he croaked out, thinking that his mind must play tricks on him, but the Druid looked solid, and his quiet voice was definitely not a hallucination when he spoke up, disappointment and resignation audible under the calmness._

“ _Stupid boy, what have you done?”_

_Dabhaidh swallowed against the sore and dry feeling in his throat, and he could feel tears welling up in his eyes. He was so thirsty, and his heart was shattered into a million pieces because of his terrible loss. “I didn't do anything!” he defended himself, and the Druid sighed and shook his head._

“ _You have not only denied_ Cocidius _his rightful sacrifice of your own life, you have even robbed him of one of his faithful souls, and nothing can undo the terrible damage and sacrilege you have committed. His wrath will come over all of us for what you have done, Dabhaidh.”_

_Dabhaidh felt anger rise in his weak body, and he met the Druid's accusing gaze with eyes full of defiance and hurt._

“ _I can't be without Micheil, and Maximus promised me that I will see him again if I drink the wine and follow him. He said that the Otherworld doesn't exist and that I would lose the only chance to be united with my mate if I died.”_

“ _And you believed his words just like that, stupid boy. I'd thought that you would have more faith in our gods.”_

“ _He's different from the other Romans, he's not my enemy, and our gods let Micheil die right before my eyes!” Dabhaidh insisted stubbornly, and the Druid smiled sadly._

“ _You are not to question the will of the gods, boy. If they decide that you have finished your path in the_ Hereworld _and are destined to join them in the_ Otherworld _, how dare you betraying them like you did, boy? The one you know as Maximus is not one of these Romans, Dabhaidh, and he's far more dangerous than any Roman could ever be,” the old priest said, and his voice left no doubts that he was telling the truth. “He deceived you for his own selfish purpose, and you'll have to pay a terrible price for your mistake.”_

_Dabhaidh felt his body go ice-cold with fear, and he stared at the Druid in utter horror. “So he lied to me? I won't see Micheil again?”_

_The dark eyes of the priest seemed to look right into his soul as he spoke up again. “Oh yes, you will see Micheil again. Your deed made it impossible for your mate to remain in the_ Otherworld _at_ Cocidius' _side – where his rightful place would be for his braveness. But you tore him back to the_ Hereworld _and the living, and Micheil will be damned to be reborn again and again, not allowed to join his brothers and sisters in_ Cocidius' _realm.”_

“ _Then I did the right thing when I drank Maximus' wine!” Dabhaidh exclaimed, and the Druid shook his head, his expression strict now._

“ _I see that you really don't know what you have done, Dabhaidh, so listen carefully to me before he'll come back.”_

_Dabhaidh didn't want to listen to the old priest, but the other man was holding his gaze until he nodded his head tersely almost against his will. “Go on, priest,” he ground out, and the Druid reached out to touch his forehead in a brief and gentle gesture. Dabhaidh felt less dizzy and thirsty, even though he didn't know how that was possible, and he leaned against his pillow and looked at the white-haired Druid expectantly._

“ _Many centuries and millennia ago, when the gods were still visiting the_ Hereworld _on a regular schedule, there were two different species living in the lands of the known world, humans and the_ Ancient Ones _. For a long time, both of them lived together in peace, but then, things changed and the_ Ancient Ones _weren't content with considering their human brethren as equals. The_ Ancient Ones _were stronger and more powerful than their human brothers and sisters because of their way of feeding. They built large cities and monuments to prove their superiority, and they ruled over humanity in the lands behind the southern shores of the oceans, oppressing them more and more. Most of their subjects worshiped them as gods, but the tribes living in the North refused to do the same because they knew that the_ Ancient Ones _were false gods and not as powerful as the rightful gods they had worshiped for centuries._

 _The_ Ancient Ones _looked like humans, but they were not like we are. They were immortal and didn't age, and they fed on the blood of their human subjects, often killing them when they took too much of their precious red claret. At first there were only few of them, but they became more in numbers quickly, turning their most faithful worshipers into their own kind with their own blood. When their human subjects couldn't feed them enough any longer without the risk of being extinguished fully, the_ Ancient Ones _decided to conquer the Northern lands and the human tribes living there to find new feeding grounds and increase their own number even more._

 _The northern tribes had fought against each other about land and food, but when they realized the terrible danger they were in, they united and chose the bravest one of them to be their Commander in the bloody war against their enemies, and he became the First King of the united tribes and the Isle of Britannia. When the gods saw that their human children had stopped fighting against each other and fought so bravely against the_ Ancient Ones _instead, they crossed the threshold to the_ Hereworld _for the first time in centuries again, and they rode into the decisive battle in front of the huge army of their human worshipers to support the First King. The northern tribes won the war against the_ Ancient Ones _, and only few of their lethal enemies survived this last battle because they could be killed with the godly silver Swords and their special wooden arrows the real gods had given them for that purpose. The one you know as Maximus was one of them. He is older than you can even begin to imagine, Dabhaidh, and he lost his own chosen mate during that battle._

 _Ever since then, he travels from land to land to find his mate again, and now he has condemned you to the same fate. It wasn't wine he gave you to drink, but his own blood, and you are not human any longer, Dabhaidh. You are an_ Ancient One _yourself now, and your hunger and thirst can only be sated and quenched with human blood. You will never die and never grow old from now on, but you will have to wait for years, decades, maybe even centuries until you'll see Micheil again, and he won't be like you, because he will be reborn human, age and eventually die again.”_

_Dabhaidh's mind was spinning from everything he'd just heard, and he didn't want to believe the Druid's words, but deep in his heart he knew that they were true. “I don't mind waiting for centuries until I'll see him again!” he said grimly, and the old priest smiled sadly at him._

“ _Your bond is still so strong, even after his death. I have never sealed any other mating bond as strong as yours, but even a bond as strong as yours can be broken._ Cocidius _is thirsting for revenge for what you have done, Dabhaidh, and he will take some of Micheil's memories from him each time he will be reborn again. One day, your mate won't remember you at all anymore, and then he'll be lost to you forever.”_

“ _I can give him my blood, then we will be together forever!” Dabhaidh cried out triumphantly, and the Druid shook his head._

“ _Remember what you have sworn when you became his Sword, young warrior? If you'll give him your blood against his will, then your bond will break and his love for you will turn into hate. Do you really want to risk that? It must be his own and free decision to give up his humanity and become an_ Ancient One _like you are now, it must be his free will to become what you are and feed on human blood in order to survive, born out of his deep love for you. True love can never be forced, only be given freely as a gift, and the gods can't be deceived, always remember that, Dabhaidh. Because if you don't and follow Maxximus' path instead, then your mate will be lost to you forever.”_

_Dabhaidh squeezed his eyes shut when the realization of what he'd done overwhelmed him, and when he opened them again, the Druid was gone, and he was alone again, alone with the agony in his heart. Dizziness and nausea overcame him, and Dabhaidh let another unconsciousness swallow him gratefully, welcoming the darkness that took the pain and the thirst raging in his body away for a few merciful hours._

_*~*~*_

Present

Michael came back into the large bedroom twenty minutes later, dressed in the fluffy white bathrobe he'd found hanging from a hook beside the bathroom door. He'd left his clothes in the bathroom and his brown curls were still damp after drying them with one of the thick towels as best as he could, but he hadn't wanted to blow them dry with the hairdryer and leave David waiting for him for much longer.

He stooped on the threshold barefooted, gazing uncertainly at the handsome blond who was still sitting in the armchair like he'd done when Michael had left him to take a shower like he'd been ordered to do. David regarded him quietly for a moment before he rose to his feet to cross the room and circle him slowly. Michael inhaled a deep breath and forced his arms to remain hanging loosely at his sides, but he couldn't keep his hands from curling into tight fists despite his best efforts when David invaded his personal space to sniff at his hair and his vulnerable throat where his natural scent was the strongest.

“Clean enough for you?” he ground out, hating how insecure he sounded. David's breath ghosted over his skin and brushed against his ear when the blond chuckled softly, making the tiny hairs on his arms and his back rise with the shiver that ran down on his spine.

“Still so defiant, aren't you, handsome?” David whispered against his hair as he finished his slow circle and came to a halt in front of him, their faces only inches apart. He reached out to bury his right hand in Michael's thick curls and gently crane his head back, his thumb rubbing tender patterns on his scalp, and all Michael could do was stare into those beautiful green-blue orbs and press into the touch of David's hand like a small tomcat that wanted to be stroked.

“Tell me your don'ts, Michael,” David's voice pulled him out of his dazed state, and he blinked in confusion.

“My don'ts?” he echoed, not sure what the other one wanted from him.

“Your boundaries and limits, handsome. Where you draw the line I am not allowed to cross.” David clarified, and Michael swallowed thickly. The experiences he'd made with his former customers hadn't prepared him for tonight at all, and until now it had always been him being in charge. He'd been dressed and either given hand or blow jobs, and even when he'd allowed one of the less ugly clients to fuck him, then he'd only pulled his jeans down to his knees and felt like a distant watcher until it was over again.

It was clear that David wouldn't allow this to happen, and Michael felt his heartbeat speed up with both anticipation and fear. “And if I tell you that I don't want to have sex with you at all and just talk the whole night?” he asked back before he could stop himself. His defiance and stubbornness would get him into serious trouble one day, Michael knew that, but his mouth was always quicker than his reason, and he doubted that this would ever change.

David's eyes lit up with dangerous sparks, but his chuckle was truly amused, and his gentle grip didn't tighten. “Then we will just talk. But this is not what you really want, handsome, is it?” he purred, his unique scent of musk, leather and smoke penetrating Michael's nose and making his blood run faster through his veins with a wave of pure desire.

“No, it's not,” he admitted hoarsely, lowering his eyes down and swallowing again.

“Well, tell me your don'ts, then,” David repeated, and Michael licked over his dry lips.

“No ties or ropes, I won't let you gag or blindfold me, I'm not into pain, and not without rubbers.” Michael felt for the package with the condoms and the lube he'd put into the pocket of the bathrobe before he'd come back to the bedroom, relaxing when they were still there. “No kisses on the mouth, and no fucking face to face,” he added after a moment, actually feeling regret about the kissing rule he'd set up for himself right when he'd first thought about earning his living this way in the future.

David nodded quietly, not looking surprised about Michael's boundaries. “What about kisses on other parts of your body?”

The mere thought of feeling those sensitive lips on his bare skin sent another shiver down on Michael's spine, and he felt himself blushing. David's soft laughter was knowing as he leaned in to brush with his mouth over Michael's right cheek and ear. “I'll take that as a yes, handsome.”

“Uhm, yes,” Michael managed to bring out, and David's tongue flicked out to tease his earlobe with the faintest hint of a caress.

“You will tell me in case I'll do something you're not comfortable with, Michael,” he ordered him as he drew back to capture his gaze with his eyes again, and Michael nodded his head, his cheeks burning hot.

“I didn't hear you, handsome,” David chided him gently, and he lifted his chin up defiantly.

“I'll tell you if you do something I don't want,” he snapped, and David tightened his grip for a split second in warning before he let go of his hair.

“Very well,” he stated, “shall we start, then, handsome?” He put his hands on his hips and cocked his head to the side as he gazed at Michael expectantly, and Michael nodded again, far too eager for his own liking.

“Yes,” he murmured, his fists unclenching when some of the tension he'd felt left his shoulders. David stepped closer again, slowly unfastening the belt that held the bathrobe together. It fell down to curl around Michael's bare feet like a snake, and the two halves of the bathrobe swung open to reveal Michael's pale skin, glowing rosy from the hot shower in the dim light of the elegant bedroom. David grabbed the terrycloth to remove the white garment from Michael's shoulders with slow and well-measured motions, apparently not in any hurry to rush things and start with the real action. The thick terrycloth brushed over Michael's arms on its way down to join the belt and billow around Michael's feet, and his cock gave an interested twitch at the sensation.

Michael's face was still burning red, David's intense glance rooting him to the spot. The blond took his sweet time to appreciate the view of Michael standing before him in all his naked glory now, letting his eyes travel slowly over his body to admire the delights Michael had to offer on full display now.

The blond didn't touch him, and yet his look felt like a real caress, making Michael's cock fill with blood and twitch again. “Like what you see?” he inquired grumpily when he couldn't stand the silent scrutiny any longer, and David lifted his eyes up to Michael's face again.

“Very much, handsome. Do you have any problem with taking things slowly and me admiring your beauty?” He inquired curiously, and Michael bit down on his lip to swallow down a frustrated groan.

“You're still fully clothed,” he stated the obvious a bit reproachfully. David hadn't even bothered to undress his coat so far, and Michael felt vulnerable in his nudity. David's face softened when he saw the discomfort and insecurity on Michael's face.

“Do you want me to be naked, too, handsome?” he wanted to know, and Michael nodded his head, his blush increasing if that was even possible.

“Undress me, then.” The blond spread his arms invitingly, and Michael moved closer to him, biting his lip again. David stood still when he reached out to pull the heavy duster from his shoulders, his green-blue eyes never leaving Michael's face when he started to undress him. He paused for a moment before he decided to hang the coat over the hook beside the door, earning himself an appreciative smile from his truly unusual client for his careful behavior.

David wore a leather jacket under the duster, and Michael wondered briefly why he didn't seem to sweat under so many layers of clothing. The nights were still warm at this time of the year, but David's skin was cool under his touch when he grazed his neck by accident. He hung the jacket next to the duster and returned to the blond to liberate him from his simple black and long-sleeved shirt and his tight black leather pants. David shook his boots off to help him, and they landed on their heels side by side under the hook where the jacket hung after flying through half of the room and doing a perfect somersault in the middle of their short flight.

“Beginner's luck,” Michael observed, impressed against his will, and David chuckled.

“If you say so. Thought I'd help you a bit,” he smiled, and Michael found his gaze drawn to those sensitive pink lips again, almost regretting that he'd said that he didn't want kisses on the mouth. It was safer this way, though, and David didn't make any attempt to take advantage of the regret showing clearly on his face and kiss him, even though his gaze darkened with the same longing to ravish Michael's mouth as he felt himself. Michael thought that he could grab the tension suddenly lying in the air with his hands, and his breath faltered when he reached for the belt that held David's pants on his narrow hips. The heavy buckle resisted his attempts to open it at first as he fumbled with clumsy fingers, and Michael was deeply grateful that David remained perfectly still and waited patiently until he'd managed to open it.

His fingers grazed cool skin again when he finally pulled the black shirt out of the pants, trailing over sculpted abs and the fascinating landscape of a perfectly shaped and modeled male torso as he pushed the shirt up and over David's head and arms. His bleached blond mullet withstood the attack without too much damage, and the smile he gave Michael did things to him and the lower regions of his own body, things he didn't want to feel for a client. He was already half-hard and aching to be touched by those elegant cool hands again, but he was determined not to show his desire too openly.

They had a deal, and David was just another customer, nothing more, nothing less. That the whole encounter felt like so much more than just an ordinary deal with a client should feel confused and angered Michael in equal measures, and he glared at the blond when David closed his fingers around his wrists to push his hands aside when he reached for his pants.

“That's enough for now, handsome. My turn again,” David said, and something in his eyes warned Michael not to argue about that. He nodded silently and with defiance glowing in his own deeper blue eyes once more, and David's lips curled into another lopsided smile.

“We'll get there, handsome, don't worry.” He stepped behind Michael to embrace him from behind, their naked torsos almost touching, but not enough for Michael's liking. David's breath tickled his neck, and he shivered visibly when long and clever fingers started to travel over his stomach in feather-light teasing caresses. It felt better than it should feel, and Michael's cock gave another twitch and rose up to strain against his abs, begging to be touched by those deft fingers as well.

“Hmm, so beautiful, handsome,” David murmured into his ear, flexing and spreading his fingers over his breast muscles to tease his nipples into hardness as well. “Look at yourself and how beautiful you are, Michael.” There it was again, stronger this time, the weird archaic way David pronounced his name with. He felt like being put under a spell he couldn't fight against and looked down at himself to watch David's pale fingers dance over his own slightly darker skin, over his chest and stomach down to his navel to circle it several times until he gasped out loudly. He was rock-hard and already leaking against his abs, throbbing with need.

Michael had never felt any real desire or arousal when he'd served his customers before tonight, but David wasn't like any of his former clients, either, and he seemed to be able to read Michael like an open book and knew exactly where and how he wanted to be touched and caressed to feel real pleasure. The open buckle of David's belt was pressing against the small of his back, and Michael dug his short nails into his palms to keep his self-control and the needy sounds inside that wanted to escape him. Not even Ryan had been able to arouse him with a few touches like David did, and he was panting for breath when David gently grabbed his hips and pulled him back close to his own body and he could feel that the blond was as hard as he was under the smooth black leather of his pants. Hungry lips nipped at his shoulder, his neck and his ears, and Michael's head lolled back with another moan.

“Hmm, how hard you already are for me, handsome.” David whispered into his ear, darting his tongue out to lick a wet trail along his jawline and his throat. “Tell me what you want me to do to you.”

“Touch me....” Michael ground out, “I want you to touch me, please...”

“I am already touching you, handsome,” David chuckled against his damp skin where he was nuzzling his shoulder and biting him playfully right where his pulse was racing with the waves of desire coursing through him.

“Not enough...”Michael groaned, barely capable of forming coherent thoughts any longer. “Need you to touch my dick...” he knew that he should feel embarrassed, but his mind was clouded with lust, and he didn't care about how needy he sounded. Tomorrow he'd be angry with himself that he'd lost control like that, but not tonight. Tonight he wanted David to touch him, to fuck and claim him as if tomorrow would never come.

“Hmm, I can do that, handsome. Shall we move this to the bed, then?” David chuckled softly into his ear, and Michael nodded his head eagerly.

“Yesssss, please!” He gasped out, his eyes falling shut when the clever tongue licked its way along his shoulder and back to his throat again, David's face so close to his own that he could feel his long lashes brush against his jaw. The distant thought that it should be him pleasuring David to earn the money they'd agreed on for the night crossed his foggy mind, but it was gone again before he could get a hold on it, and David didn't seem to mind that he didn't do more than just enjoy himself, either.

Two surprisingly strong arms scooped him up to carry him over to the huge bed, and Michael buried his face on David's shoulder, happy to let the blond take the lead. He was laid onto the silken sheets, cool against his burning skin, and he made a sound of protest when David didn't join him on the mattress instantly but went back to the bathrobe lying on the floor to pull the items they would soon need out if the pocket. Michael frowned a bit at how David could know that they had been there, but the thought disappeared quickly when he watched the blond return to the bed like a beautiful and dangerous golden lion would stalk his prey, his green-blue eyes shining almost golden in the soft light of the lamps hidden in the ceiling and the walls. David was still wearing his jeans, the large bulge under the black leather giving his own desire for Michael away, but it didn't look as though he expected Michael to do something about it any time in the near future when he crawled onto the mattress to straddle him and brace his hands against the mattress beside Michael's head.

“Tell me how much you want me, Michael.” he demanded, and his voice had lost its calm at last and sounded hoarse with his own forceful desire and need.

Michael glared up at him, pissed off that the blond obviously still wanted to play games with him. “That's pretty obvious, isn't it?” he snapped, and David let out a displeased snarl that really resembled the low roar of a lion.

“You'd better not make me repeat myself, handsome. Answer my question,” David growled, bending down to take his earlobe between blunt but sharp teeth in warning.

“I want you to fuck me, asshole!” Michael hissed back desperately, not wanting to give in but fearing that David would leave him unsatisfied if he didn't say what the blond wanted to hear. “Happy now?” He couldn't keep the hurt out of his own husky voice, and he wasn't prepared for the tender hands burying themselves in his dark curls to keep his head in place and the tender lips dabbing apologetic kisses all over his neck and his face. David was careful not to come too close to his lips, though, and Michael was grateful that he still respected his boundaries and didn't kiss him on his mouth, although everything inside him screamed to break this stupid rule and just kiss him senseless. But this was too dangerous and would only lead to a broken heart when David was gone again and Michael was nothing more than just a distant memory in the blond's mind of a night he'd spent with a random hooker from the Boardwalk.

“See, that wasn't so hard, was it?” David soothed him, and he let go of his hair and sat back on his heels to regard Michael with a strange expression on his boyish features. He looked young and vulnerable for a short precious moment, his eyes filled with pain and a deep heartbreaking grief Michael couldn't understand. Neither of them moved for a few seconds until David broke their eye contact to take the bottle with the lube and pop it open. Michael watched him coat his fingers with the liquid, and he shuddered with want and arousal at the prospect of soon feeling David inside him. His customers usually didn't want to waste much time with preparation, and Michael had learned to do that himself, and quickly, to avoid bigger damage when he'd let one of his clients fuck him.

“Do you want me to do it myself?” he broke the heavy silence between them, and he felt disappointed because David surely didn't remember his promise that he would touch him where he needed to feel him the most. Either that, or he didn't care about the promise he'd given him. He was the one in charge and who'd paid for the whole night after all, and he didn't need to be considerate of Michael's feelings or needs. The realization sobered Michael, and it showed when his cock softened against his stomach.

David pulled his brows into a frown when he noticed the change in Michael's mood, and he smiled at him and stroked his face with tender fingers. “And miss all the fun of doing that myself and turning you into a panting mess? Not gonna happen, handsome,” he said, slicking his right hand up and closing it around Michael's pouting dick to stroke it back to full hardness.

It was almost too much when he felt David touch him on his dick after what had felt like ages to him, and his arousal came back with full force, leaving him breathless and gasping for air. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he was painfully aware of David watching him with hungry eyes as he stroked him relentlessly. Michael was so caught up in the sensations that captured his body that it took him some time before he became aware of the cheeky finger circling his entrance at the same time, cool and slick with lube as well. He tensed up instinctively, but it felt so good to be stroked there as well, David matching the rhythm of his hand with the circles he drew around Michael's quivering hole.

He was harder than he'd ever been in his whole life before, hard and aching, and his legs fell apart to give the man straddling him and driving him mad with his caresses better access to his most intimate parts. He'd told David that he didn't want to be fucked face to face because that was a position lovers would choose, but he thought that he could allow David to kneel between his thighs to prepare him without losing his face - because being stroked by those skillful fingers felt just so damn good and he didn't want this to ever end.

It took only a few more circles before the cheeky finger finally slipped inside him, and Michael knew instantly that David had done this before and knew quite well what he was doing. The sharp sting shooting through his abdomen at the thought of David's former lovers felt suspiciously like jealousy, which was actually ridiculous because David was his client and not his lover – and because Michael wasn't a virgin, either. But he'd never really enjoyed being on the receiving end before tonight, and with Ryan, he'd always been on top after the first few times. It was different with his clients, but this was business, nothing else, and he'd never felt real pleasure then and longed to be taken like he longed to feel David deep inside him right now.

It just seemed to be so right, and Michael's body swallowed the tender and curious digit with ease when the blond pushed inside him, moving in and out in a steady rhythm and adding to the arousal he was already experiencing through David's hand on his aching cock. The blond bent down again when he felt Michael relax beneath him, kissing his throat and his shoulder and licking the salty sweat from his skin. Michael's toes were curling with lust, and he could feel himself getting close to the edge far too quickly.

“It'll be over soon when you go on like that,” he warned the blond, his voice cracking and his hips arching up from the mattress when David found his prostate and curled the tip of his finger into it.

“I'm pretty sure that you can go two times for me, Michael,” David whispered against his throat with a tender chuckle, “so don't hold back and let me see you come.” Michael whined when the finger was pulled out, just to be joined by a second one and tear a strangled cry from Michael's lips.

“Ah, just like that, you like that, don't you, handsome?” David nibbled at his ear as he stroked him faster and drew tender circles around the leaking slit that crowned the engorged head of his rock-hard cock, and Michael was lost. He threw his head back on the pillow and came with a shout, shivers wrecking his body as he spilled all over David's cool fingers and his stomach, the fingers pressing into his prostate boosting his pleasure to incredible heights.

His vision went white with the intense waves of ecstasy shooting through his groin, and when it was finally over, he fell back onto the mattress, panting for air and dizzy with satisfaction. Michael relaxed with a shaky sigh, and he snuggled gratefully against David's slim and yet strong frame when the blond pulled him into his arms and carded his fingers through his hair with gentle strokes to soothe him. Michael pushed his nose against David's throat to inhale his calming scent, and for a rather long time they just lay there, David stroking his hair and humming into his ear all the while.

*~*~*

Michael came back to his senses with a startled noise, and to David lying behind him and nibbling at his ear again. “Hmm, handsome, you back with me?” the blond murmured, and he must have lost his pants and underwear while Michael had recovered from his high because his hardness was pressing against the small of Michael's back again, but this time without any offending garment between them. Michael could feel David leaking small droplets of pre-come against his back, and he hummed deep in his throat, still relaxed after his forceful orgasm. Feeling David so close to him without any barrier between them, though, his desire for Michael nudging against his back so eagerly, made soon new arousal pool deep in his belly again, and he pressed back against the blond with the same desire. He didn't protest when David slipped his fingers back into his secret core to continue where they had stopped when Michael had come, sensing his need and wanting him to find his own satisfaction as well. David's arousal must be painful by now, and Michael really craved to feel him come undone as well, preferably when he was buried to the hilt inside him.

It didn't matter any longer that he'd never wanted to be fucked before tonight, and David was gentle and careful, Michael's pleasure obviously meaning much more to him than his own, even though it actually shouldn't do as David had paid him a lot of money for being allowed to fuck him. Above all of that, he was handsome and Michael desired him like he'd never desired anybody else in his life, so letting David have his ass was really not such a hardship. David's lips trailed kisses along his throat and shoulder as he prepared him, and Michael shivered with lust, impatient to feel his manhood inside his body instead of his fingers.

“I'm ready!” he ground out, and the blond chuckled, still so mysterious and strange to him, and yet Michael could fall in love with him so easily if he wasn't careful and protecting his heart.

“You want me that bad, handsome?” David's voice was a soft purr in his ear, and Michael bared his throat to him with a longing that came from the deepest parts of his soul, but which he couldn't give a real name. He didn't know what he wanted and longed for so badly, he just knew that David was the only one who could give him what he needed.

“Please, need you,” he whispered, and David soothed him with a tender kiss on his cheek before he pulled his fingers out to put the rubber where it belonged and line himself up with the lube.

“Need you, too, Michael,” he breathed against his neck, pulling another shudder from him. Michael held his breath when David nudged his entrance with the tip of his hard cock, slowly pushing into him. He was so big, stretching Michael to his limits, but it felt so right and so good, and a guttural moan escaped his lips as he pushed back against him to take him as deep into his body as he could.

David whispered his name when he was sheathed inside him, and no one had ever made his name sound like David did. Michael's eyes fell close at the feeling of being so close to the man he'd just met a couple of hours ago, and who'd yet somehow become the center of his world so quickly. Passionate lips were moving over his neck, and Michael let out a startled cry when sharp teeth bit down where his blood was pumping visibly under his skin, but he didn't try to pull away from the tongue licking up the blood and the hot mouth closing over the small wounds to suck eagerly and draw more blood in the process. Instead he tilted his head to the side in a gesture of utter devotion to give David better access to his throat, the sharp ache shooting of the bite intermingling with the pleasure David's steady thrusts aroused in him. He was fully erect again, hard and needy and losing himself in their ardent coupling.

David picked up the pace with a pleased growl when he felt Michael melting into his embrace and surrendering himself to him, his right hand moving from his hip to Michael's neglected cock to stroke him in time to his deep and hard thrusts. Words were forming in his mind, strange words of an archaic language Michael didn't know the meaning of, and they were gone again before he could grasp them. David's scent enclosed him like a bubble, the rhythmical sounds of skin slapping against skin and their breathless moans and gasps the only sounds audible in the splendid and elegant hotel room. Michael felt like floating and he wished that time would come to a halt and that they could stay like this together forever.

But time moved on, and David's thrusts became harder and more and more urgent as he chased his own climax in earnest now, and Michael knew that he would come soon again, as well, the double stimulation and onslaught on his senses too much to bear it for much longer.

“Ah, Michael, so beautiful... come for me, handsome.” David murmured, dabbing chaste kisses on his abused flesh right where he'd left his crimson red mark on Michael's throat, a tender and wordless apology for the pain he'd caused. Michael didn't need it though, the thought that he would have a visible reminder of their night when David was gone welcome and consoling.

“David,” he whispered back, their cheeks pressed against each other as they reached their climax together. David was the first to fall over the edge with a strangled cry which he silenced on Michael's shoulder, but Michael followed him right away, coating David's elegant fingers with his release for a second time. They shuddered through their high together until the blond relaxed behind him and pulled him close to bury his face in his tousled curls. For a while, they didn't speak or move, and Michael dreaded the moment when David would tell him to leave him alone, now that he'd gotten what he'd wanted. They weren't lovers, just a hooker and his client, but David's arms holding him felt like so good, and Michael didn't want this night to end.

He listened to their slowly calming breathing and waited, swallowing when David eventually pulled out of him and turned away to get rid of the used condom. The blond sat on the mattress for a moment, his face averted from Michael's eyes, and the sudden lump in his throat was nearly choking him.

“I should go now, shouldn't I?” he said to break the heavy silence between them, and David looked at him from over his shoulder, carding his fingers through his hair in a somehow defeated and tired gesture, his expression carefully blank.

“Do you want to go, Michael?” he asked quietly, and Michael shook his head.

“No, I don't,” he admitted, biting down on his lip. He wanted to kiss him, and he knew that his wish was showing on his face, but David smiled sadly and lifted his hand to his mouth to brush over his lips with his thumb with regret darkening his gaze, and Michael realized that he wouldn't kiss him, even though he could see the same longing shining in those green-blue orbs looking at him with an intensity that made Michael shiver.

“Then don't go, handsome,” David murmured, “stay with me for a while longer.” He lay back down on the mattress and opened his arms, and Michael came into his embrace and flung his own arms around him in return, wishing so hard that he could bring time to stop that it was a physical ache in his heart.

*~*~*

Michael dreamed.

He was aware that he was dreaming, and he was desperate to wake up, but couldn't.

He was trapped in the most terrifying nightmare he'd ever dreamed, holding a sword and a far too heavy wooden shield in his slippery hands and hurting all over. He knew that he was dreaming, and yet everything felt and looked so real to him, the dark shapes of the tall trees and the blood stained battlefield, the dark lines of the face- and nameless enemies he was fighting against together with equally face- and nameless warriors side by side.

He was dressed in weird clothes and shouting desperate words in a strange language he didn't understand, and David was by his side, dressed in the same way and shouting together with him. Michael could smell the heavy iron scent of blood and hear the screams of the other warriors falling where they stood and dying under the swords of their enemies. David's face was covered in blood, contorted in a mask of horror and red fury as he slaughtered man after man with his sword, and Michael recoiled from him when he saw the bloodlust in his green-blue eyes, shining golden with hate.

Their enemies came closer, and Michael wished that he would have paid more attention in school during his history lessons as he struggled to wake up but was pulled back into his nightmare each time he tried to open his eyes. Their helmets with the panache and the breastplates looked vaguely familiar, Roman perhaps? He still couldn't see their faces as he yielded his sword and raised his shield with weakening arms, the only face he could see clearly being that of David fighting next to him.

For a moment he thought that they would win this hopeless fight, but then three Romans attacked them from behind, separating him from the blond, and Michael could hear David yelling his name in despair as he found himself surrounded by the enemy. Blood was dripping into his eyes and there was a terrible pain shooting through his abdomen and his entire body when one of the Romans sheathed his sword to the hilt in his side, his blood pouring out of the deep wound in fast spurts when the Roman pulled his weapon back to bury it in his chest for the final blow.

“ _Micheil, noooooo!!!!”_

David's voice screaming his name in utter horror and despair was the last thing he heard before everything went black and there was nothing left except for an all-consuming darkness when the world Michael had known stopped existing for once and all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story moved far from the original idea, and the past-part became much longer and more important than I'd originally planned it to be.  
> I also like the idea of a different background for the vampire-part instead of the classical undead which is closely related to Christian religion.  
> If anyone would be interested, I could add another part(s) if you'd like to read more about these versions of David and Michael.
> 
> Thank you so much to all of you who read this story, I hope you enjoyed it! <33


End file.
